As many as 87 railway stations in the state will be developed as Amrit stations as part of the ministry’s efforts to develop railway infrastructure here, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced in the rail budget. These include the Asarwa, Chandlodia and Ahmedabad junction stations in Ahmedabad.
Vaishnaw announced an increase in the budget allocation for railway projects in the state, stating that Rs 8,743 crore has been earmarked for the same, marking a 15% rise this year compared to the average annual outlay of Rs 589 crore between 2009 and 2014.
Among the stations to be developed into ‘Amrit’ stations are prominent stations such as Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
Highlighting the ongoing infrastructural advancements, Vaishnaw shared that there are 42 active railway projects in Gujarat currently, encompassing new tracks spanning 2,948 km, worth Rs 30,826 crore. “224 km of new tracks have been laid, compared to 132 km laid from 2009 to 2014,” the minister said.